ohheyderSONG?!

So, I finally finished a song tonight. I wrote most of it... three years ago? Sometimes it takes that long for the last little bit to come to you. Anyway, I'm pretty happy. So here it is:

{Verse 1} Moonlight breaks as daylight fades

Casting shadows on your face

And here I stand with open hands

Waiting for some new sign

That there’s a change from yesterday

A darkness gone away

But you remain still the same

Alone

{Pre-Chorus} And you forget what you’ve done

When instead you choose to run

And I’m tired of chasing

{Chorus} But we are young, we move on

When our troubles hold us down

It’s sink or swim but we jump on in

And somehow stay afloat

Never believe you shouldn’t cry

When your dreams fall from the sky

{Tag} A broken heart may never mend

But it’ll learn to love again

{Verse 2} Misty rain, fallen down

Gathered on the ground

A memory frozen in time

From when we were alive and well

{Pre-Chorus} Lost in prayer on my knees

I cling to my belief

That you’ll come back to me

{Chorus and tag}

{Bridge} Yes, I know

I can see you're made of stone

But I feel you beating

Bleeding beneath your skin

So don't let go

Come back to me

Come back and see

You're so far gone

It's been so long

{Chorus}

You’re still alive

Somewhere inside

I can see it in your eyes

{Tag}

-----

YAY! I used to have chords and everything. Maybe I can dig those out somewhere. Hope y'all like it. Feedback is always appreciated! Comment or message me on Facebook. Ohandalso it doesn't have a title yet. So, if you have a suggestion, I'd love to hear it. 

Thanks guys! 

Happy Wednesday!

My Monday

I like to do creative things, especially if they're a little wacky. This morning, I went to the fashion studio at 8.30 and worked until 1 on a project. I got back to the room and decided to start cleaning my desk. It's not super entertaining, believe it or not... So then I decided to dye my hair instead.

Yup, today was/is a streak-your-hair-with-Kool-Aid kind of day =^)

I got some Kool-Aid packets a little while ago with the intention of doing this, then they got lost on my desk and I forgot about them. Oh yeah, that's partly why I decided to do it today - I finally rediscovered them while I was cleaning. It's also super fast and super duper easy, and smells better than normal dye. Although Splat smells pretty dern good if you don't use the bleach. Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and plug for Splat. If you want to dye your hair a crazy color, use it. It's the bomb.com. And, again, it doesn't smell bad.

Anyways, I grabbed some Q-tips, an old comb, an empty (and clean!) yogurt cup, conditioner, and my purple Kool-Aid packet. 1 squirt of conditioner into the cup (it was a pretty generously-sized squirt), dump in the packet, stir it up with the Q-tip, and apply. I only did a small strand of hair. If you're trying to dye all of it, don't ask me. Maybe ask WikiHow. After all, if it's on Wikipedia, it must be true, right?

Once I got my strand done, I needed to wrap it up in something. I have paper towels, but I didn't want those to absorb the dye while it's still doin' its thang, ya know? So I opted for a Ziploc instead. Just one of the little ones, I think it's "sandwich-sized" or "quart-sized" or something. Opened it up, stuck my hair inside, zipped it as shut as it would go, and rolled it up and bobby-pinned it to my head.

So that's where we're at right now. I've got a strand of purple Kool-Aid hair plopped inside a Ziploc bag that's bobby-pinned to the side of my head. Ah, the joys of improvising these sorts of things in a dorm room. I like to consider myself resourceful.

Oh! Fun fact - use toothpaste to remove dye from your skin. Or countertop. Or mirror. Or wherever you got dye that you shouldn't have gotten dye. Like maybe the dorm room floor... Oops. I use gloves when I dye with Splat, but a) I don't have gloves at school, and 2) I wouldn't have used them anyway for this, letsbehonest. So my fingers got super covered. But toothpaste has yet to fail me. It doesn't take very much either. Just rub it over the spot you're trying to get rid of and then rinse it off or wipe it away with a damp paper towel. In this case, I basically had to wash my hands with it. But the purple is totally off my hands. I should have done a before/after picture, seriously. It's impressive.

So that's what I've done today. But I've got no where to go this afternoon, so it's an opportune time. In fact, I need to stay in my room and prepare for a test, so this is actually totally conducive to my studying, right? Because I'm not about to go outside with a plastic bag in my purple hair, and I'm not sure how long this is supposed to stay in, so I gotta just chill for a while. So logically I'll use that chill time to study.

That's what I'm telling myself anyways.

While I sit on the computer and waste time blogging about my productivity... yeah...

I think that's it. Have a great Monday!

To the Thrift Store!

I don't always go shopping, but when I do, I prefer thrifting...

I've come to realize that I'm at a very interesting place when it comes to shopping. I'm a Fashion and Textile Management major concentrating in Product Development, so I'm essentially studying "fashion design," just with a lot more of the business and science classes thrown in as well. Therefore, the world of shopping - and all that lies beneath it's shiny surface - is the world that I will most likely be jumping into once I graduate. However, as 1) a college student in possession of negative funds, and b) a person who has never felt it necessary to spend exorbitant amounts of money on clothes or accessories, I'm trying to find a comfortable spot that will allow me to balance my vehemently opposing worlds. I'm living in a paradox? Maybe.

So where does this predicament leave me? At the thrift stores, my friends!! Any of them! All of them!

Thrifting is an art form that really doesn't require much skill at all. A decent portion of it us up to Lady Luck, but the rest is up to you. The most difficult part about shopping in second-hand shops is keeping an open mind. Yes, there's some level of organization that goes on inside those stores, but actuallynotreally. Recognize the fact that you have absolutely no guarantees to find what you're looking for. Plus, if you go in searching for a specific item, you're going to accidentally overlook a handful of other awesome things.

Aight, here are my simplest steps to successful thrifting:
1) keep an open mind (see above paragraph. slash if you skipped over it and down to this list, shame on you!)
2) keep a tight-ish wallet
3) stay patient

Since we already addressed the open mind, let's address the closed wallet. I know when I go into a consignment store of any kind, (especially used book stores - those get me every time) this strange fog of delusion descends upon me and I get this crazy idea that, because everything is so cheap, I can buy whatevertheheck I see that I'm remotely interested in. DO NOT DO THIS. Have some self-control, people.
Do you actually need that obnoxious green sequin sweater?
"Yeah, it's just so obnoxious! And it's only $6!" Okay, fair enough. But what about those jeans that already have the paint stains and that don't actually fit?
"Well, they mostly fit." Mostly?
"Well, they're a little too short, but I'll cut them off." Will you, though?
"Probably..." Not good enough.
"But they're jeans!" But how many pairs do you already have?
"... touche..." I win.

Basically, thrift shops are the best when you're looking for something ridiculously awesome in a horribly tacky sort of way, like a green sequin sweater that's $6. Two of my favorite sweaters are these grandpa-sized knitted monstrosities that are literally the best things I've ever purchased at a consignment store. My mom shudders when I bring them back to school with me. All my friends think they're the bomb.com. I wear them so much during the fall and winter. And if you actually do need something basic, like jeans or a jacket or a dress, definitely check the Goodwill racks first, but stick to looking for what you're actually on a quest to find, and don't settle for something that's "mostly" good.

Oh yeah, and stay patient. Don't go thrifting if you're on a tight schedule, because the clothes seem to have a mind of their own, and they like to run away when you're hurriedly hunting them down. I dunno how they do it, but it's a true fact. Stay calm and patient, and be willing to look through everything and laugh at the absurdity of 98% of the things you find.

So those are my thrifting basics. I went to a used-book store with my roommate today and came back with five books: two that I've read before, one that I'll probably read, and two that are just super old and look cool and make me feel legit. Yeah, books make me feel legit. I'm okay with that.

Happy thrifting, everybody!

SoObsessed with SoJam

This might not be too long, just because it's difficult to put into words the amazingness that is SoJam.

SoJam is an a cappella festival that was hosted in Raleigh, NC, this past weekend. It's basically a big conference that draws groups and individuals from across the nation. It's sponsored by CASA, the Contemporary A Cappella Society. Maybe this will explain it a little bit better than I can:

http://sojam.net/about/

Anyway, it's a huge deal. And the group that I sing with on campus was accepted for the third year in a row to be a part of the collegiate competition. That's also a huge deal. I'm so proud of them, I just had to brag real fast.

So Friday night was the competition featuring six different groups from six different colleges across the US:
- University of South Carolina Cocktails
- North Carolina State University Acappology (that's me!)
- Georgia Institute of Technology Nothin' but Treble
- Vanderbilt University Melodores
- University of Colorado Denver Mix
- Northeasters University Nor'easters

Mix came in second place and the Nor'easters took first. Both groups were absolutely incredible. Check them out on Youtube or Facebook. Or both.

Classes started Saturday at 9 am and ended around 5 pm. There were courses on everything from running through a live sound check to group arranging music to being an effective leader. And each class was taught by a professional within the industry, so it was real information from people with real experience. So helpful.

SoJam is obviously fantastic because of the knowledge and experience floating around among all the leaders, but it's also great because it allows you to connect with so many people from so many places, on a professional level and a social level. We got to reconnect with the Faux Paz from University of Maryland (check them out too!) as well as meet members from other collegiate, semi-professional, and professional groups.

Oh yeah, so Saturday night is the professional concert. This year featured Edge Effect, Pentatonix and Fork. Go look at all of them. Because I can't even begin to describe any of them. Except to say that I went into an a cappella coma. And it was a wonderful place to be.

And we met members of Pentatonix. Dear Avi Kaplan, not to be creepy, but I love you. Then end.

And Kirstie Maldonado, you can just sing to me every day of my life, because maybe a little bit of your vocal epicness will rub off on me. I'd be down with that.

That's about it. It was definitely the most exhausting weekend of my life, but it hasn't even been over 36 hours and I'm already so excited for next year. I miss the classes, the other groups, the performances, and the excitement of the whole experience. If you ever get the chance to attend, do it.

SoJam 2013. Hurry up and get here. You're going to be insane.

Dorm Pets

Late last semester I found out that my soon-to-be-roommate really wanted for us to have a pet when we came back to school. She requested a newt. He would be named Isaac (she's a science nerd, gotta love it). I was totally down with this idea. However, dorms have some restrictions on what sorts of animals you can keep in the building. When you look up our school policy, it says:

"Pets are not permitted in any residential buildings, except fish in properly maintained, clean aquariums, maximum not to exceed 20 gallons total capacity per room/apartment and registered/trained guide dogs."

Whenever a discussion arises about the pet rule, it always gets paraphrased a little bit. So "fish in properly maintained, clean aquariums" becomes "anything with gills that lives underwater." Well, what if I have a frog or something? It doesn't have gills, but it can live underwater... "anything that lives predominantly underwater." I feel like 'predominantly' is a relative term... "anything that can hold its breath underwater for at least 3 minutes." This cycle continues until it becomes something like, "anything that can comfortably fit into an aquarium." Comfortably? Really? I fit in my dorm room but it's not necessarily "comfortable." ... "anything that can fit into an aquarium."

I have a 10-gallon aquarium. It can fit a lot.

Goal achieved!

We've contemplated fish, newts, frogs, a kitten, a puppy, a chinchilla, a chameleon, hamsters, turtles, Boo, a black-footed cat, a fennec fox, a red fox, and a bearded dragon. Whenever we want an animal that's too big for the tank, we just decide to shrink it, so we're also considering a mini giraffe, mini dolphin, mini manatee, mini binturong, and alligator (we think that maybe we can get this one when it's a baby and then just will-power it to stay small.)

So we'll see how this adventure turns out.

At the Airport

I live far enough from school that it's usually cheaper to fly home than to drive. This means I do quite a bit of flying - I've actually tripled my flight time in the past year. I'm chilling in the airport right now, killing time before my flight boards, and, not gonna lie, I'm happily reminiscing about this weekend exactly one year ago, which was significant for a few reasons:

1) the first time I went back home after moving to school
2) the first time I flew again in six years
3) the first time I flew by myself

Even as an "adult," facing the airport by myself the first time was pretty terrifying. Fortunately, RDU is really small compared to Hartsfield-Jackson, so the terror was short-lived. The airport and I now have a solid relationship.

I actually love to fly.

The whole experience is awesome. Maybe I'll get to a point where I get sick of it, but I sure hope not. I don't mind waking up early if I'm headed to the airport. I love the hustle and bustle as everyone's on a different route to a business trip or vacation or home for a holiday or returning from a trip. I also like how directly it contrasts with the passengers (like myself, currently) who are sitting outside their gate for around an hour waiting for something to happen. It's just a cool experience. Just sitting in the airport.

Flying itself is amazing too. Coasting onto the runway, hearing the engines start up with that high-pitched whine that totally makes me feel like I'm on the Millennium Falcon. The pull on your stomach and the pop in your ears when you take off and adjust to the altitude change. Watching the cars and houses and streets get so small.

But the best is sitting by the windows and flying on a cloudy day. You enter into the clouds and are completely surrounded by white, and then you just pop out the top and you're above the whole word. Literally.

It's awesome.

And now it's time to board =^)

The Sick Day

Being sick.

Of course it's something that everyone experiences, some more often than others. And it's definitely something we all handle in different ways.

I'm usually a really pathetic sick person. I have no problem recognizing that fact. My motivation disappears and I eventually find myself sitting in a sickly daze, my mouth hanging open because I can't breathe through my nose, sniffling occasionally, coughing slightly, most likely wrapped up in a blanket. Depending on how sick I am, I may or may not be able to hold a conversation. My brain function generally seems to slow by about 50%, especially if my ears are clogged up and I therefore can't hear very well. Someone will say something to me and I don't register it until an awkward amount of silence has presented itself, after which I either process and respond or have to ask the speaker to repeat the question or statement. I warned my roommate about this last night - she asked me a question and I had no clue what she said. I still don't really remember what it was, even after she repeated it for me. But she's patient, which is helpful. I think she also finds it kind of amusing, honestly. Maybe...

When I'm sick at school, the two biggest problems seem to be:

1) do I go to class? and
2) what do I eat?!

The answer to the prior is always determined by multiple factors, on the class's part and on mine.
     Class: difficulty, importance, availability of lecture notes, attendance policy
     Mine: presence and intensity of runny nose and cough, presence of fever, ability to stay awake, and ability to focus.

Runny nose and cough have been making their appearance, but fortunately fever has stayed at bay. So what about class-wise? This morning the need to sleep won over the need to go to class. Plus I only have one class on Mondays, and my professor has a college-age son, so she's very understanding of the being-sick-and-needing-to-sleep thing. She's awesome. Tomorrow I think will merit skipping the first class - it's not terribly difficult, nor terribly important, lecture notes are available online, and the attendance policy is pretty lenient. Plus I haven't had an absence yet, so one won't penalize me. The others, however, will merit attendance. But that's okay, I definitely feel better tonight than I did last night.

So, food... I never know what to eat. Well, besides soup, because soup is a "duh" when it comes to sickliness. I always stock up on juice - orange juice and pineapple juice mostly. I'm also a fan of those Bolthouse Farms smoothies, but I get those anyway, not just when I'm sick. Then of course I've gotta get that fruit. And... actually, I feel like that's about all I end up eating. Soup. Juice. Fruit. Yeah, sounds about right. Maybe the occasional PB&J.

Well, that's about all. If you didn't catch on, I got sick this weekend, and that's what inspired today's topic - the sick day. Tomorrow will be a half-sick day. Hopefully Wednesday will be yet a smaller fraction of a sick day. I hope you all are doing well and staying healthy.

Drink juice! Get sleep! Peace out!

When there's nothing better to do...

I often find myself doing strange things while I'm bored. No, not even bored, just unoccupied. I usually don't notice that I'm doing them until I've a) been doing them for far too long, or 2) been doing them with at least one other person around who 2a) reciprocates, or b.5) asks me what the heck I'm doing. Here are some of my most common default behaviors:

Being a dinosaur
Practicing animal noises
Making faces
Talking to myself
Sleeping
Dancing
Singing
Generic jamming
Reliving a conversation from earlier in the day
Wiggling my eyebrows
Wiggling my ears
Flexing my fingers
Working out
Haha, not actually working out
Thinking about working out
Pretending I work out
Wondering if I should actually work out
Assuring myself rock climbing counts as working out
Getting on Facebook
Checking my email
Getting back on Facebook
Facebook stalking my roommate
Facebook stalking my family
Facebook stalking my best friends
Facebook stalking those people I went to high school with that I never really knew
Facebook stalking those people I'm not sure I actually know at all
More singing
More animal noises
More dinosaur-ing (it's usually a T-Rex)
Texting
Waiting...
Waiting...
Responding to a text
Debating calling
Texting
Looking through pictures on my phone
Looking through pictures on Facebook
Checking my blog
Debating writing a blog post
Looking up a video on Youtube
Debating blogging about it
Posting the video link on a friend's wall (excuse me, timeline. whatever...) on Facebook
Checking my email again

Yup, that's about it. And I know I'm not the only person who operates like this. What weird things do you find yourself doing?

My Pleasure!

Dear Chick-Fil-A,

You have forever changed my vocabulary.

Yes, I was one of those kids who worked at the local CFA over the summer. And ya know what? It was actually pretty fun. And now I can swirl soft-serve icecream (or icedream) onto a cone like nobody's business - a very handy talent to have.

I'm also now one of those people who usually says "my pleasure" instead of "you're welcome."

It's real. It happens.

Since I've been away from the job for about a month now it's started to diminish. Slightly. My roommate still catches me. Or just laughs at me. I've gotten better about not saying it to my friends though - it usually appears when I'm talking to someone I don't know:

*holding the door for the miscellaneous student behind me*
her - "thanks"
me - "my plesu- ... yeah, sure thing..."
*ignore the "haha, I know where YOU work" smirk and walk off*

*lent a pen to the guy next to me for math lecture. end of class"
him - "here's your pen. thanks"
me - "my ple- ... yup."
*ignore the awkward look, shove things into backpack and scurry out*

*taking my food from the cashier at Moe's*
her - (because she's required to) "thank you, have a nice day"
me - "my pl... thank you..."
*take food, hurry away like an awko taco*
jill - "haha. I heard that"
me - " -_- "

Just some examples of the most common situations in which this verbal transaction occurs. Some instances are more awkward than others. Older people generally seem to appreciate it, so hopefully it earns me points in the "what a polite young person" category. And other CFA employees get a kick out of it. And really, so does anyone who likes Chick-Fil-A. So I suppose it's not such a terrible thing after all.

Keeping Clean?

Me: "Yeah, I'm thinking I might skip the showering tonight and just sleep."
Jill (roommate): "Okay."
Me: "I wonder if I can get away with not showering..."
*pause*
Me: "Yeah, I'll just do it in the morning."
Jill: "Oh, I thought you were going to Google it."
Me: "GOOOOOOGLE! *How to get away with not showering*"

http://www.campusghanta.com/2012/01/12/how-to-get-by-without-having-a-shower-for-a-week/

Let me just clarify the situation:

1) I showered last night, so it's not like I'm rocking some stank-nasty grunge and denying myself the necessity that is personal hygiene. I've also been up studying for a test I have tomorrow morning, so right now I just would rather get sleep than take a shower.
2) I have a slight obsession with Google and the act of googling. Anything. Everything.
2a) I sing "GOOOOOOGLE!" a certain way when I'm about to look up something absurd. That's why it merits the specific typage. (sure, it's a word...)
3) This was the first site I found, and Jill and I were laughing so hard that we could barely read it all the way through. So I thought I'd share.

I'm NOT encouraging anyone to try these methods.

However, should someone decide to, I'd love to know how it fares for them...

That's all for tonight! Back to Physics studying =^/

OH! AND TO ADD: I haven't looked at anything on this site besides this article I'm referencing, which, for clarity's sake, is called "How To Live Without Bathing." Just sayin, I'm not responsible should you click on a different link and wind up somewhere unhappy. Fair warning.

Post Labor Day Stress Syndrome: is white alright?

Alright people, let's talk about this.

Today is August 31st. This weekend is Labor Day weekend. When classes resume on Tuesday, should I expect to be seeing a significant lack of white in students' wardrobe?

NO!

Before we actually begin, let it be known that this topic was inspired by two situations occurring in the past two days:

1) yesterday I was sitting on the bus next to three guys who I didn't know, inadvertently eaves-dropping on their conversation (not my fault! they were practically yelling), when one of the brought up "that stupid rule about how you can't wear white after labor day." All three sat there yapping about how they didn't understand why you weren't allowed to wear white after labor day, how it was a stupid rule, and a lot of other uninteresting blah blah blah. I was sorely tempted to lean over and tell them, "it's shoes. You can't wear white shoes," and then resume my solidarity. I resisted the temptation.
2) today my roommate was wearing white shorts. As we were getting ready to go to a friend's apartment, I commented that I was going to change into jeans, and she said "I think I'm just going to keep these on. It's one of my last days to wear them, after all."

So, friends, let's talk about this no-white-after-labor-day rule.

The extent of my research shows that this rule supposedly originated around the 19th century when the upperclass returned from their summer homes at the end of August to resume their lives in the city. When they switched locations, they switched wardrobes as well, putting away their summer-wear and readopting their winter garments. Winter clothes are darker and heavier, so it was standard that the white would just disappear with the rest of the summer things.

I'm not sure how many of you are close to a calendar, but just in case you didn't realize, we're not in the 19th century.

We're not even in the 20th.

21st baby. Mind blown, I know.

But all sarcasm aside, fashion is about risk-taking and rule-breaking. Now, I'm not saying keep out all your summer clothes as we head into cooler months - that's just stupid. But I think a strict adherence to the no-white policy is pointless. Color forecasters plan seasonal color palettes about two years in advance, and they always incorporate neutrals. White is a neutral. This means white is a year-round color. Please don't remove it from your wardrobe.

So Catherine, can I wear white shoes?

Eh, I'm still undecided as far as that goes. I'd obviously get rid of sandals simply because sandals are indeed a summer shoe. I tend towards the idea of putting away the white shoes.

Well then, what can I keep?

Anything else. White jeans? Wear them with a dark sweater and dark shoes. White tights? Put em under boots and a black skirt. White jacket? Black jeans and a dark scarf.

Be risky. People really don't judge individual colors as much as color coordination. No one's going to look at you and say "gee whiz, what are you thinking, wearing a white shirt? It's September 7th, for goodness sake!" If they do, just direct them to me. I'll take care of it. (But really, don't do that. I'm not about to fight your battles for you.) As long as you wear your white well, people really won't care that you're wearing it post-Labor Day.

Oh, and when I say "white," I mean white, off-white, cream, eggshell, ivory... whatever you want to call your shade of white.

I think that's all I've got for now. Basically, I like white, and ivory, and cream, and I think you can wear them successfully during the winter months if you wear them properly and pair them with dark colors.

Because, when I think of winter, I think of snow.

And snow's white.

For the win.

Those Awkward Gaps

Right now I'm in one of the "awkward gaps" during my day. It's wonderful, don't get me wrong, just awkward. Reasons why:

1) Tuesdays I have my first class at 9.10, end at 10, into math lecture at 10.15, end at 11.30, into physics lecture at 11.45, and out at 1. very full, fairly boring, and definitely tiring.
2) I get back to my dorm around 1.10. I have a 2.55 class. seems like a reasonable amount of time, right? well, my 2.55 is on a different campus, so I have to allow bus time. which means leave my dorm at 2.10.
3) but Catherine, an hour is plenty of time to do something like, say, grab lunch! yes, dear reader, yes indeed it is! however, apparently the rest of the student body is operating on the same schedule as I, because it seems the entire student body is trying to get lunch at precisely the same time as I! which makes the lunching process more difficult and lengthy.

So today I opted for a PBJ in the room and skip the campus lunch experience altogether. By doing so I've now freed up a little more time in my gap. But what to do with it? The homework that's currently dangling over my head can't be finished in my now 45 minute slot. And honestly, it can't really be started that quickly either. Y'all know how those assignments are. I could watch a Netflix episode - Psych, maybe - but alas! I hopped onto Facebook while pondering my situation and now I only have 38 minutes left! Not enough time for a Psych episode. What about a half-hour show? (that's really only 22-24 minutes when you cut out commercials, let's not lie to ourselves) Well, I suppose we could. And actually that might be a wonderful solution for other Tuesdays (and Thursdays), but today I decided to waste my time by posting about how I couldn't decide how to waste my time. Which therefore makes this post invalid. I suppose. Maybe? Hmm...

Well that's about all. And all that rambling to say that I wish my schedule didn't have awkward gaps. But then again, I'd rather have a few minutes to sit around staring at a wall than be constantly in class or walking (or busing) to other classes... So, I accept you, awkward gap, for all your fantastic pointlessness. I do enjoy having you on my side.

Have a fantastic Tuesday, everybody!

The average late night

Today was my first day back in classes.

Yes, we started class on a Thursday.
No, I don't know why.
Yes, it's awesome.

Tonight also turned into a typical college student night: I finished everything I needed to get for the day before 10 pm, but here it is, 1 am, and I'm still wide awake and functioning. Not because I couldn't go to sleep if I tried, but just because it's more fun to stay up than go to sleep. But forreal.

Let's talk about classes a little bit, shall we? Firstly, for any new college students or high school seniors, or just anyone who needs a little reminder, if you're going to a big lecture class, be sure to get there EARLY. I got to my math lecture ten minutes before it started this morning, and finding a seat was super awkward. I ended up in that spot where two people are sitting with two empty chairs between them, so then you have to decide who to creep next to. That's always fun... I also always seem to end up in front of that row of girls who just don't. stop. talking. That's fun too. I really like it when they're annoyingly chatty all of class, and they really like it when I turn around and tell them off. Just kidding. I've never done that. But I always want to. Oh well.

So 15 minutes after math ended I had to get to my Physics lecture. Now I know that I don't have time to, say, go to the bathroom between those two classes. Not unless I want to get stuck in the far back corner and not be able to see the board like I did today. Awesome sauce. We'll be bookin' it from class to class every Tuesday and Thursday morning. Something to look forward to.

At least textiles redeemed itself, even though I still can't figure out the pattern to how the rooms are numbered. But I finally found my class: CAD for Fashion. It's going to be awesome!! Researching and designing for specific markets, then creating one of the products we designed for the market. I'm so pumped.

And now it's officially bedtime. When morning comes it'll be time for the weekend!!

And so it begins...

I've officially been at school for two days now, and my room is still an incredible mountain of "stuff." I really can't call it anything other than that - there's a little bit of everything going on around here. This morning I had to use shampoo instead of soap because I had no idea what box the soap and soap holder were in. I still haven't found em. No lie. On the plus side, now I know that shampoo works really well as body wash.

When I'm moving into my dorm, I like to have a lot of storage boxes. I have this theory that if everything has a box to be put in, maybe it'll somehow end up there. Plausible, right? But right now my problem is moving things from big "transportation" boxes to little "living" boxes - I can't decide what little box gets the honor of holding what "stuff-y" item. It's basically a giant puzzle. And while I normally enjoy puzzles, this one's stressing me out. Meh.

Speaking of school theories, I also came up with another one this summer: if I bring a lot of cute clothes to school, I'll end up wearing them more often. Also plausible, right? Well, seeing as this is only day two, I haven't really been able to test the theory yet, but I'm already seeing some loopholes, mainly that I kind of tried this last year and it didn't work. Whilst deliberating the situation with my roommate, the question arose of why we always dress cuter in the winter than the summer. Our answers are as follows:

1) there's a conspiracy among designers to make winter clothes cuter all-around, in which case we're just kind of screwed
2) because when you walk into a room and throw off your jacket, you have more pressure to be wearing something cute as you're already set up to make a stellar impression
3) because it takes more effort to dress warmly in the winter, putting in that last bit of effort to also dress cute (cutely? eh, whatever) isn't particularly difficult.

We decided number three is the most likely, but I'm not ruling out one or two either. All I know is that it's easier for me to love what I'm wearing during the winter. Which is quite a disappointment, because winter is my least favorite season (sorry, Santa).

My roommate and I have also decided we're going to have once-weekly mandatory "look cute" days. Basically all this actually means is that we can't dress like hobos. It's a lot to ask, but we're going to try. I even came equipped with flats and sandals to wear to make me feel legit (I usually default to grey Converse, all day, e'er day). I also brought about six dresses. I never wear dresses to school. Ever. So we'll see how that goes.

Oh! Here are some pictures of Mount Stuff. I have to document the mountain moving process, otherwise I feel like I'm not actually being productive.

Last theory - if I bring a bunch of books that I know I like to read, I'll spend more time reading than on Netflix. My friend Daniel says it's not going to happen. He's extremely encouraging, as you can tell. Jill (my roommate) and I are much more optimistic. 

KaBAMpow! Rock Climbing

So let's talk very briefly about rock climbing. And I do mean very briefly, because I'm quite exhausted and due to be quite sore very soon, so I'd rather go to bed before that latter part sets in.

We've got this awesome new indoor climbing and fitness center in Atlanta called Stone Summit. It's the biggest indoor rock climbing facility in the nation. Yeah. Today was the second time I've gotten to go, and I'm completely in love with it. So in love that I bought myself a membership today ^-^ (this is my super pumped face).

For those of you who have never been indoor rock climbing, GO. That's it. You have to. Make like Nike and Just Do It.

Reasons I love rock climbing:
1) the odds of you getting hurt are low. Really, like, three hundred bagazillion to one (yes, I'm sure it's a real number... sheesh)
2) conquering a wall just makes you feel awesome inside
3) it's really cool to watch. But seriously, if you sit and watch rock climbers who have any experience and any confidence in what they're doing, it just kind of looks like they glide up and down the wall. It's so awesome. You're like "woah, is that dude even touching the grips? He so looks like he's just gliding. Awesome."
3.5) I imagine the above quote in a stereotypical California surfer-dude voice
3.75) the voices I imagine don't usually sounds like a stereotypical California surfer-dude
4) climbing is a really great workout for people who don't actually want to work out, like myself

I've actually gone bouldering the past two times I've been to Stone Summit. Bouldering is climbing, but without ropes. No harness, no ropes, no belaying. SO HARD CORE AND DANGEROUS, RIGHT?! Not really. There are always height limits to the walls that are used for bouldering, so you're not hoisting yourself up a 40 foot wall - gonna be more like 15 or 20 feet. But it's still really fun and really cool, and qualifies under all of the reasons listed above.

This was just on my mind right now. I could write a lot more, and maybe I will tomorrow night, because yes =^) I'm going again tomorrow afternoon. And yes, I'm trying to make myself miserably sore.

Night!

A Bit on Garage Sales

As the title says, here's just a bit on garage sales...

So this morning, my parents woke me up to let me know they were heading out to go "garage sale hunting." I grunted my acknowledgement and promptly went back to sleep. About three hours later, once I was finally dressed and out of bed, they got back home. My dad dropped my mom off in our driveway and then drove away. Mama rushed into the house explaining to me that they'd found this big multi-house, neighborhood-wide garage sale over by my old high school, and at one of the houses they'd stumbled across a great find. They'd rushed back home to go to an ATM and get more cash, and my mom had been dropped off so she could make herself and my dad some lunch so that they would waste no time in order to promptly go back and buy this magnificent piece. Now, I'm not a shopping snob, and I understand that there's nothing like a good garage sale, so when they extended the offer for me to come along with them for the adventure, I was up for it. Not like I had anything better to do anyways.

Less than thirty minutes later we were in the car driving back to this person's house. Sure enough, our newly discovered and highly cherished item was still there, awaiting our return. We loaded up the car, paid the nice people, and proceeded down the street on to the next sale. At least eight houses and at least as many awkward conversations later, I was minorly disappointed and minorly sunburned.

To be fair, I'm sure my parents didn't feel nearly as awkward as I did. But first off, I was imagining a scenario something like the following: driving down a street, seeing happy residents of all ages from every house displaying their goods at the edges of their driveways and lawns, excited shoppers meandering between rows of tables and bookcases and stacks of neatly labeled boxes, younger children looking through bins of toys and games while adults take more interest in the classic books and organized racks of clothes and furniture items...

Okay, typing it out, it does seem a little ridiculous. But I at the very least expected a bunch of yards to be filled with a bunch of stuff. My family had a garage sale right before we moved, and we had a bunch of tables filled with a bunch of stuff, so it's just how I remember yard sales working. What we actually found was about three or four houses participating per street, and, for the most part, each house having a few rather empty tables not very full of an assortment of unimpressive items. I did make an important discovery though - garage sales awkward me out.

Seriously.

One lady was selling old bras o.O Eww. Just, eww.

I just feel extremely uncomfortable walking up someone's driveway and looking through their old stuff, judging it in my own way and deciding if it's worthy of my time, attention, and, most importantly, money. And then I feel really uncomfortable when I look around and walk away without buying anything. Especially if one glance shows me there's nothing I want to buy. I always feel obligated to at least wander for a few minutes. Otherwise I feel like I'm indirectly telling the people that they have nothing of interest to me. Or directly telling them. Either way, awkward situation. And then some of them try really hard to sell you stuff. Stuff that you 98% of the time don't want at all, and they know you don't want it at all. But they want to get rid of it and you're morally obligated to feign interest. It's just an awkward situation.

My afternoon was not totally unsuccessful though! One couple did have a really good selection of movies, we just already had a lot of them. The lady also had an awesome pair of linen overall-shorts; I actually went inside and tried them on, but alas, they were barely too small =^( It was quite the disappointment. The lady was sweet though, and she had a cool house and two adorable huge dogs. At another house I did find a couple yards of really awesome fabric (and when you're into sewing, multiple yards of decent fabric for dirt cheap is a gift from God), a book of Edgar Allen Poe short stories for 25 cents (I have a love for Poe...) and a really epic straw hat. No, really, it's absolutely epic.

And it was fun to wander around with my parents. They're cool.

So that was my Saturday. It was more entertaining than most of my Saturdays, so I thought I might share it. Hope your Saturday was a good one too!

Summertime = art time

I love being creative, and any creative person knows that creativity can take many different forms. This summer I've started attempting to channel it through painting. Me, paint? HA! Yeah, I never thought it'd happen. But I've had a couple opportunities to try it out in the past week, and so far I'm not too disappointed in myself.

We moved into our current house about eight years ago. Nine years ago? ... Eight or nine years ago. Ever since we moved, my mom has wanted to decorate our back porch with a theme. The first move towards accomplishing that goal was made just a few years back, through the purchasing (or receiving? they may have been a gift...) of a set of chip and dip bowls. I don't know what specifically, but something really lit the lightbulb, and all of a sudden Mom knew our porch was meant to Mexican fiesta themed. Or something like that.

one of those inspirational little bowls

So the steps following the inspiration have been slow-paced. Incredibly slow-paced. My parents knew way back that they wanted some artwork to put on one of the porch walls, and they were really hoping that my brothers and I would paint them. See, here's the thing. My brothers and I are all creative in our own ways. They draw. I sketch and sew. We're all musical in some way. But I can't remember any of us painting. They painted those intricate little Lord of the Rings figurines for a long time, and about fifty of those are on display in a case in our living room, but I don't think they painted anything larger than that. Except their bedroom walls right after we moved in. But you know what I mean.

I finally got motivated enough to attempt some paintings. It helped that canvases were on sale at the Michael's Arts and Crafts store ten minutes away from my house. After doing my best to get paints that matched the bowl colors, and after acquiring a 15 pack of really cheap brushes, I was ready to begin my mission.

my chosen colors. I think I did a pretty good job ^-^

For the first one I wanted to make a purple flower the focal point, but I didn't want to be so precise as to copy the flower on the bowl. So I aimed for abstract purple flower. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Once you eliminate your mental barriers, the painting gets a lot easier. I had drawn up a sketch for one of the paintings a few days earlier. It was pretty free-flowing, but still very rigid and exact in its patterns and shapes. I'm not sure what eliminated that idea (besides the fact that I could tell my mom didn't really like it) but I'm glad it disappeared, because I like the end result much better than the initial sketch.

I see a flower. My mom sees a peacock feather or something like that. I really don't care what it looks like, 'cause that's the point of abstract, right? I'm just happy with how it turned out. But I wanted to make another that had a shape more similar to the flower on the bowl. That was part of my first drawing that I actually liked. So the next painting started out with another purple flower, and I wanted to use blue as more of a base color than red. But after I started painting, I didn't like how solid the flower was, and it obviously needed more than just the blue border. I looked at the pot again and saw that the green part had a checked pattern on it, so I decided to add that on top. Then I filled in the empty space by following the flow around the edges of the flower.

Ta-da! Second painting! I'm happy with it too. So I had one canvas left and wanted to do something different with it. When I doodle on my notes during class I usually alternate between swirls and flowing lines and geometric shapes, so I thought it'd be cool to go geometric for the last one. I also wanted to include the criss-crossing that's on the bowl.

I scratched the pattern on using the back of one of the paint brushes.

So here's all three together! I'm really happy with the first two. Not quite sure how I feel about the third one, but I can always paint another =^)

Boxes and boxes and boxes!

I just moved back from college a couple weeks ago. I have the bad habit of never unpacking suitcases when I get home from vacation - this also applies to unpacking boxes of dorm stuff.

In addition to me moving back home, my parents have been in the process of converting our "craft room" - right across the hall from my bedroom - into an office space so my dad can move from his work office to a home office. This moving process began before I got back, so where did all those miscellaneous bags and boxes end up? Yup, my room. Up until today, my floor had been crowded with four or five different stacks of boxes, as well as at least four garbage bags full of craft room items and even more small bags and boxes of papers and binders and notebooks. This is basically how my room looks, and this is basically how I feel every time I try to attack it.

But I've been gradually trying to get into the swing of unpacking. It's no fun. I'm an expert packer, if I do say so myself, but my packing skills far exceed my unpacking skills. I think it's because when you pack up, you're usually going somewhere exciting. And once you're unpacked, the adventure is officially over. It's really sort of depressing if you think about it.

Anyway, I think today I finally finished unpacking my college boxes. No, that doesn't mean the unpacked items are neatly put away. It's more like I've always lived in a messy room, so having general clutter all over the floor is less stressful than having large boxes towering up and trying their best to trip me while I walk around. Therefore the boxes have left but the junk has remained. But I'll sort that out eventually. Although I have the feeling a lot of it can go back in boxes for next year... Funny how that works, huh?

My Wonderful World of A Capella

So I like to sing. A lot. I sing - or hum at least - while I walk around and while I eat and while I shower (of course), and while I brush my teeth, and quite possibly while I sleep.

I got to college and hadn't looked at joining a group of any sort. I have an awkward time meeting new people, especially if I'm on my own, so I generally shy away from new experiences that put me out of my comfort zone. So basically any new experience at school.

One of my suitemates introduced all of us very early on to an amazing group called Acappology. They're one of the premier a capella groups on campus. They did mini-performances outside the dining halls every couple of weeks, so she would bring us around to watch em. I fell in love. Prettymuchbasicallyyeah. Sometime later that semester she heard me singing while I was in my room, and immediately afterwards she started talking to me about auditioning for a group, be it Aca or another one on campus. She even kept me updated with concert dates and audition times for a few of the different groups. I carefully avoided going to auditions (I kinda have a phobia), but she finally dragged me out to the Acappology winter concert, buying my ticket as my Christmas present. I mean really, how could I not accept that as a Christmas gift?

So I went to the concert. And fell more deeply in love. And watched the youtube videos. And learned some of the choreography. And danced around my room singing along, daydreaming about joining and how much fun it would be, realizing more and more that I really really wanted to be an Acappologist.

Christmas break came and passed, and I was still seeing little music note-shaped stars, and a few days after we returned to school, my friend posted on my Facebook a link to a page with information about the upcoming Acappology auditions. Long story short, she got me to go audition after my class the following week. I showed up late after power-walking a decent ways across campus, answered every awkward question they fired at me ("If you were a donut, what donut would you be?" I'd be chocolate frosted. Yes.), and then sang part of "Turning Tables," by Adele. Hey, I felt like being gutsy and belting a little bit.

So I made it to callbacks and then had to learn the alto part for one of their songs, then sing it in front of them. Also very nerve-racking. But apparently I did well enough, because they called me that night to tell me I got in. Best phone call ever. I literally hung up and ran screaming into my friend's room to tell her and whoever else was around that I made it. Then we happy danced. It happened.

I love this group so much. We spend a lot of time together, in and out of rehearsal time. We strive to be one big family, and, although we're definitely dysfunctional in our own way, we're also definitely a family. It's been one of the best experiences of my life. So you should experience the joy and check out samples of our songs here! On our website!

That's all for tonight =^)

Oh wait, lil' bit more. I know everyone knows the song "Somebody That I Used To Know," by Gotye, featuring Kimbra. Well, there's this amazing professional a capella group called Pentatonix, maybe you heard of em when they won the Sing-Off in 2011, and they do an amazing cover of the song. I actually like it better than the original. So watch it now. Forreal.

My love affair with dancing

So one of my favorite hobbies is dancing.

I took ballet lessons when I was about six years old, and all I remember is:
1) I only stuck with it a year,
2) in practice they'd make us sit back-to-back and then try to stand up (my partner and I beasted!), and we'd also point and flex and make "pretty Cinderella feet" and "ugly stepsister feet," respectively,
3) I had a super epic tutu for performance, and
4) I drank an Orange Fanta right before dress rehearsal and really had to pee the whole time.

My mom tells me that I didn't like my teacher at all and that's why I stopped lessons. That must be the reason why, because I've continued to love dancing, and every time I see a ballet performance (usually the Nutcracker at Christmas time...) I come home spinning and twirling and determined that someday I'll learn pointe.

I'm realistic though. I know I'm not terribly flexible, and basically too old to learn ballet - especially pointe. But I can still do jazz, modern, and hip hop (and clubbing, but that's pretty straightforward, as seen here). Those are the ones I've mostly stuck with. I started choreographing when I was, oh, just a wee little thing (probably late elementary school or so). In seventh grade I started taking lessons at a very laid-back studio, and I was in a class of about 16 girls, all but three of whom I already knew. I absolutely loved it. I took lessons there from seventh - twelfth grade, and during those six years I had four different teachers, all of whom taught with very different and unique styles. I ended up doing a couple years of jazz, a couple of modern, and one year that leaned more towards hip hop.

I have to confess, it was never really a hip hop class though. My teacher told us from the beginning that she could envision the moves but couldn't dance them herself, so we tried to learn the motions while she awkward-white-girl danced them and then told us how to compensate for her whiteness. Now, yes, I'm white too, but I've been told that I don't dance like it. That's one of my favorite compliments to receive ^-^ Anyway, senior year I started dancing with my friend T, and we came up with this really awesome thing we call "puppeting." I'm the puppet and he's the puppeteer and he "attaches strings" to my arms, and, well, you can envision the rest. It's awesome. Maybe I'll put up a video at some point.

So I've been away at college for a year, and I haven't had much opportunity to dance. I've definitely lost some skills. But my friend Bradley really really wants to film a dance video. And I really really want to as well. He just showed me this video today, and he says he's got some ideas for it. So basically I've got to start practicing again. Fingers crossed we can follow through!

I really love dancing. So much. It's so freeing and relaxing and energizing and exhausting and basically I'd rather dance than walk. My parents can tell when I'm in a good mood because I spin around the kitchen while I'm getting food out of the fridge or glasses from the cabinets, etc. I just dance all the time. I can't help it.

So, dear readers, I encourage you to embrace your inner dancer. I don't really care how your dancing looks; I actually have mad respect for awkward dancers who know they're awkward and dance anyway. So do it. I'll love you. And give you props.

Madison Kate

Back for post number two!

Today I had the honor of acting as a model for my friend Madison. She's gotten into photography over the past year or so and is gradually learning the ropes, and becoming quite excellent rather quickly. Anyway, she bought a 1950's wedding dress for next-to-nothing a few weeks ago, and as soon as she had it she texted and asked if I'd model it for her. Ha! As if I'd say no!

So that's how I spent majority of my afternoon today: driving to different places around the neighborhood and wandering around, pretending like I knew exactly what I was doing. I knew my afternoons of watching America's Next Top Model would pay off someday =^)

Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from this afternoon. Check out her blog! She's fabulous!

http://madison-kate.blogspot.com/

secret about this picture: her sister Mallory is actually sitting underneath the skirt, giving it that extra poof on the left side! Oh, and it was really really hot while we were shooting. So being curled up under 3 layers of skirt, she was getting the sauna experience. Sorry, Mal!

Hey hey hey!

Hello World!

I used to have a blog about four years ago, but seeing as I'm not... structured? scheduled? disciplined?... enough to constantly update one, and seeing as I had nothing interesting to post, it suffered. So I put it to rest. But I've decided to give blogging a second try. So here's the breakdown of what you might be seeing:

I'm a college girl. I talk a lot. About anything. 'Nuff said there.

I'm a fashion&textiles student. And I love to sew. "Sew" I'm planning on posting pictures of projects and such. (I also tend to think I'm punny. Probly not, but always worth a shot! And hey, a pity laugh is still a laugh.)

I write songs and play piano, so who knows? Some lyrics - even a video - may appear up here someday. But that's a pretty slim chance. So don't get your hopes up.

I think that's all I've got for now.

Oh, my blog title? What's 5 feet 7 inches? Well, I am! (betchya weren't expecting that, huh?) But if you want to go all symbolic - and I do, because it's late and I'm sleepy and I get analytical when I'm tired - I suppose you could say it's also my perspective of the world. Because seeing the world from different angles, or heights, can change your view.

Buh-bam. That's it. My view. Of the world. My thoughts. And perspective. All 5 feet and 7 inches of it.